flowergirl2day

rikpanda,

you've pretty much answered your own question. Exercising or eating too much protein prior to a plasma creatinine test is never a good idea. Other things that affect the creatinine levels are certain medications - antibiotics, ACE inhibitors and ARBs -by as much as 30%. Doctors are well aware of the fact that some antihypertensive medications raise creatinine levels. Diet high in meat or other proteins,or protein supplements, can increase the creatinine levels by 10-30%.
Are you a body-builder? A baseline level of 150 creatinine could be normal in a body builder. Creatinine levels increase with the muscle mass. Moderate exercise does not have much of an effect. Strenous exercise causes an increase in creatinine.

You cannot jump to any conclusions after just one simple test, done after you had exercised and while you were dehydrated. For a better idea of your kidney function, a repeat test is needed - plasma creatinine and BUN. The chances are everything is just fine. A better test to have for assessing kidney function is creatinine clearance, which reflects the GFR. Did your doctor make any comments about the test results?
My suggestion: if you have any concerns, have a repeat plasma creatinine test done, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) as well. Make sure you don't exercise or eat heavy protein meals the day before. Skip protein supplements for a couple of days prior to testing if you use them. The two tests mentioned are often done together and should give a more complete estimate of your kidney function. If the creatinine is still elevated, ask for a creatinine clearance test. How is your blood pressure? Do you take antihypertensive medication?

flowergirl